Expand Summary
Three freelancers have earned over $1 million dollars on Upwork by mastering high-income skills, working consistently, and gradually increasing their prices.
Abstract
The article highlights the success stories of three freelancers who have earned over $1 million dollars on Upwork by mastering high-income skills such as graphic design, Microsoft SQL Server DBA services, and pitch deck consultations. The author emphasizes the importance of learning a high-income skill, working on Upwork for at least a year, gradually increasing prices, and diversifying one’s income streams to replicate their success. The article also debunks the myth that freelancing is not a viable source of income and encourages readers to consider it as a real business opportunity.
Opinions
- Freelancing can be a lucrative source of income if one masters a high-income skill and works consistently.
- Success in freelancing requires patience and persistence, as it does not happen overnight.
- Gradually increasing prices and diversifying income streams are essential for maximizing earnings.
- Freelancing can be a viable alternative to traditional employment and can even lead to the creation of a successful business.
- The author encourages readers to consider freelancing as a real business opportunity and provides a free course on how to earn $700 from a 600-word article.
Freelancing is more than $5 gigs.
When I started freelancing in 2018, I hoped to earn a few hundred dollars monthly. It took me two weeks and a lot of data entry work to earn just $43. I wasn’t sure if this should make me happy or worried.
But I kept going and reading about freelancing.
This made me realize I needed to learn a skill that was in demand and paid well. I chose logo design, and in a few months, I went from a humble $5 to $20 and later a nice $50/hour.
After spying on other freelancers, I found something interesting. Some freelancers reached millions of dollars in earnings.
And I’ll reveal some of them here.
So, who are these people?
I will show you three different people with three different skill sets.
The first is Anthony Agreste. A multi-talented graphic designer who worked as a freelancer on the side for the past 14 years.
“My freelancing design business took off and grew exponentially year over year while I continued down the path of a corporate career. My freelancing work was earning much more than my full-time job, and I felt it was time to venture out on my own.” — Source.
– Anthony Agreste
This led Anthony to create his graphic design agency called Mediaperk and earn over $1 million dollars on Upwork.
The second freelancer who earned a similar amount is Josh Burns.
He has a YouTube channel teaching people how to freelance on Upwork. I found his channel a few years ago when I was freelancing, and back then, he was at the half-a-million mark.
On Upwork, he offers Microsoft SQL Server DBA services and is ranked in the top 1 percent.
He gets paid $150/hour, so it’s not hard to see how he got to 7 figures. An interesting difference between Anthony and Josh is the number of total jobs. Josh has earned a similar amount, with fewer jobs but more hours.
Last but not least, I found Evan Fisher.
His earnings are even more impressive. Sitting at $2M+ total, Evan earns an impressive amount for his pitch decks and consultations. We’re talking about four to five figures per project.
How to replicate their success
Seeing other people earn incredible amounts of money is nice, but let’s see how you can do the same.
Learn a high-income skill
The first step is to learn a high-income skill (if you don’t have one already). For this, you can use Google, YouTube, and paid courses. The most important part is to learn something you can see yourself doing for years.
Examples of high-paying skills include:
- Programming
- Graphic design (web design, logo design, etc)
- Copywriting
- Video editing
- SEO
- Social media marketing
- Data analyst
Get good at it and work on Upwork for at least a year
Success doesn’t happen overnight. You will need to put in the reps. If you look at the profiles of those high earners, you will see that they all have over 100 projects and thousands of work hours.
Gradually increase your prices
The next step is to increase your prices. In time, you’ll be able to get high-paying clients. You can go from projects that pay you $20 to those that pay real money.
To do this, you must focus on getting 5-star reviews. If you work with a well-known brand, don’t forget to show that in your profile description.
Little by little, you go from small fish to the shark that rules the ocean.
Diversify (optional)
Getting paid for freelance work is not the final destination.
Two of the freelancers above expanded into selling courses and building an online presence. This is the next step, where you stop selling your time for money.
It includes a ton more work, and not everyone will want to do that, but it’s an option for those who want to maximize their earnings.
Final thoughts
It’s funny how some people still ask, “Is freelancing a good side hustle?”
The answer is Yes, but you must be a professional to earn millions of dollars. And at that point, it’s not a side hustle anymore. It’s real business.